Just Keeps Growing! (aka the Groover Gang)

Pet Names

2010-01-05T20:38:00.005-06:00

I was talking to a prospective babysitter yesterday and we started talking about the kids nicknames.

Marguerite started it. Frances called her "Marshie". She's always called her Marshie. That's the nickname Frances gave her about this time 2 years ago. Though Frances also briefly called her "roary" (happens when a baby cries ALL the time) Marshie also has other nicknames: Marsh (without the ie) from Frances, Marsha from her daycare teacher, Ree Ree from Frankie (though now he calls her "Mar-GA-REEEEET!" Yes, with the exclamation point at the end every time lol), and of course I call her Marshie LuLu (why I don't really know lol I just think it's cute) or Lulu or ReeReet. And of course, the inevitable, Marguerite Elizabeth! Yeah, she's figured out she's in trouble when she gets that one.

Frank only has one real nickname: Frankie. I do call him other things like PotatoHead, Mr. Powerhouse, Bud (Bud Lite is what his father started call him, but I just can't go there lol), Loudmouth...No, I'm kidding! Though he is. And, as with all boys, there's a few other things that I can't think of right now.

Grandma nicknamed Frances "Francy" when she moved down here, but Frances really hates it. lol Her name is "Frances Audrey" thank-you-very-much! And she's the one that started that. She really prefers to be called by both names. When I really want to tease/irritate her (Hey, I'm her Mama, I can get away with that!) I call her "FrancyPants". Talk about being pissed at me! She's also: Little Miss Thang, Herself (given to her by her God-Mama Boo), Miss Princess, Sissy Frances or Francesss (drawn out like Princess - which is how Frankie pronounces her name all the time).

Robby of course gets called RobbyBobby (which his Daddy started) or my new favorite for him is Mr. Poopy. (which is always accompanied by PoopyPoopyPOOPY - Yes, I do put poopy in there four times. Hey.... you try staying around him for very long when he's filling a diaper and you'll see!) He's also Mr. Droolyface or Drooly for short, Fang (now that I can't get away with "Toothless Wonder" anymore), Little Guy, Little Bud (another of his Daddy's names for him... I call him Little Buddy when I use that one lol), and a few other assorted pet names.

I suppose it's just "My Thing". Even Desse and Steven have been subjected to some nicknames over the years.

My ex didn't want Desse having the middle initial J because he'd be called DJ. So, I purposely steered everyone away from that -- though I came home from work one day to him telling a 19 month old Steven, "DJ. Can you say DJ?" lol And yes, he was DJ until pre-k. Then he asserted that his name is DESSE. Don't call him anything else. My nieces called him BJ though -- and still do. They're 11 and 13 now. lol We're still not certain about that one.

Steven just got stuck with Stevie (my sister) and that of course lead to SteviePooh which he hated more and STILL HATES to this day. Yeah, I know all the buttons to push. That's a Mama for you.

A couple of my brothers got in on the act too. I nicknamed one "Bit" and another "Shauny". My sister is and always has been "Sissy". Yep, I guess it's just me!

I don't really know why I was thinking about this again today, but I thought I'd write it down and think about it again some more later. Just a little food for thought ----

Blue Eyes

2009-12-02T08:59:00.003-06:00

He NEEDS a haircut, but the boy has the prettiest blue eyes! I was trying to get pics of craiglist stuff off the camera, and he kept asking to have his picture taken.......

And he kept moving closer and closer. lol Still can't believe the twins are 2 1/2 already!

Creative Thinkers

2009-11-16T18:10:00.004-06:00

Since we moved a few weeks ago, the kids have enjoyed being outside. We're now on a cul-de-sac rather than a busy street, and we don't worry about them as much. As a matter of fact, there are only five streets in our subdivision, four of which have cul-de-sac's on each end and the fifth is the street that goes through the center and dead-ends into the fourth street. No through traffic! YAY!!!!

So I came outside to see what the kids were up to and what do I see:

I asked Frances what she was doing and she said, "Talking to the bus, of course." She was very matter of fact about it too. *snicker*

And then... Marshie joined in! lol

You can see why I thought all of Marshie's "soot" was from talking into the tailpipe. Even now I can't believe she was ingenious enough to figure out how to open the engine cover. I'm still stunned!

Our Engineer?

2009-11-15T16:18:00.003-06:00

After snapping this cute picture of Marguerite, we found out what she'd REALLY been up to.....

The little turd had unlatched the inside engine cover on the bus (no small feat for us adults I might add) and started exploring the diesel engine and transmission! No wonder she's so dirty. lol

Frances Funnies

2009-06-30T17:27:00.004-05:00

I think this may become a regular blog post for me. She comes up with the funniest things!

Today -

Frances: Look! Look! Mama, that car tripped. (She was pointing to a car hooked to a tow truck - on the freeway. The front tire and fender were hopeless bent in.)
Mama: Oh really?
Frances: Yep, look, look, it tripped and hurt itself. See the boo boo? Look! LOOK!!
And of course I was giggling by then!

Then we get home and she says: Mama! Look, there's a crab on my slide!
Me: (thinking it's a bee or spider): Hey, don't go near it. It's not a crab.
(As I'm walking towards the slide) F: Yes it IS a crab! You can see his claws!!!
OK - upon further inspection I realized it was just a cicada, but she's still insisting it was a crab. lol

The following picture probably only makes sense to those of you with BIG families and more than one toddler. I think we managed to get a pretty good picture of the four of them together -- after about 25 or so shots (each) and TWO cameras.

Check-ups

2009-06-20T15:48:00.004-05:00

I've been away for a while, but I realize I need to do this blog -- for me and for my little ones. : )

Frances turned 3 on Sunday (the 14th). On Wednesday she had her 3 year check up and Robby had his 6 month. Both got shots. ICK! Info below their pictures.

Frances Audrey
3 years
Weight - 33.5 pounds
Height - 38 inches
Nicknames - FancyPants,Franny-girl,
Princess, & Cutie Pie
Interests - Playing dress up, playing
in her new kitchen (she loves cooking for
all of us and then washing up), playdoh,
helping care for Baby Robby,
and saying the funniest things

Robby
6 months
Weight - 17lbs 10.8oz
Height - 24 1/2 inches
Nicknames - Little Guy, Microchip, Buddy,
and recently dubbed by Godmama Boo
"Hooch" (think drooly)
Interests - cooing, drooling, crying,
rocking back and forth on hands & knees,
learning to eat, taking his bottle,
(and up-chucking said formula),
and the dragon (alligator???) toy
Ms. Elise gave him for Christmas

Both kiddos got a clean bill of health. Frances is tall, but well proportioned. She was so good.... she didn't cry when they gave her the shot. Of course, that was because the nurse had promised her a trip to the "toy treasure chest". She decided on a Thomas the tank engine sticker and a lollipop. Normally I don't let her have candy, but getting a shot changed my mind.

Robby is finally getting back into his growth curve. He was 75th in weight and 80th in height. His reflux is still causing him to vomit his formula at times and he spits up after every meal. He's finally taking baby food too, though I had to skip step 1 - it was too thin and he hated it. lol (I really need to learn to make my own baby food. It would be better for him I think.)

Dr. K also told me not to interfere too much with interactions between Robby and Frankie - unless Robby's getting hurt. lol That's what I've been doing, but it was nice to hear that. I want them to grow up close, and for that to happen they have to work out their places -- between themselves. Frankie will be closer to Marshie, no doubt, but that's a twin thing.

Christmas Pictures/Update

2008-12-29T11:19:00.005-06:00

I know it's a little late for Christmas pictures, but this is the first chance I've had to blog in FOREVER! lol And guess what I have recent pictures of? hahaha

Robby in his Daddy's arms

Robby on Mommy's shoulder - 3 weeks & 1 day old (This is currently my favorite photo of him)

Our little Christmas present - Desse put the bow on his head, and I couldn't resist taking a picture

Marshie sitting in front of the tree and presents - she insisted on wearing the dress she had just unwrapped

Frankie in Desse's santa hat - I caught this shot mid-step, but it makes it look like he's doing some sort of jig lol

Frances and Mommy (yes, the girls have matching dresses now lol)

Frances with her new dolly, Kit

Last, but not least, our family photo. (from l-r 1st row Michelle-Steven's girlfriend, Steven, Gwen holding Frances Audrey, Grandma Frances, and Isaac. 2nd row Rob holding Frankie, Me holding Marshie, Alex-Desse's girlfriend- cradling Robby and, of course, Desse hiding behind her.)

We had a very joyful Christmas. Steven and Michelle came up from Houston on Christmas night. The kids (of ALL ages) really enjoyed the small gifts that they received. Frankie and Marshie were most interested in the idea of giving and receiving gifts, but of course they tired easily. We had a lovely Christmas dinner together in the afternoon. All in all, our day was fill with much love and laughter.

The following day, Friday, we all started coming down with a stomach virus - one that many of us and our friends are really just starting to recover from. Even with sick kids, a sick husband and friends, I will still say that this Christmas was much blessed. I hope everyone else had such a wonderful time with family and/or friends.

Lots of love for the holidays -------

Baby Robby Announcement

2008-12-05T07:00:00.004-06:00

Robby IV was born at 8:22am Wednesday morning weighing 9 pounds even and 19.75 inches long. My sweet boy is doing well -- nursing, sleeping and just being a quiet little thing. I just can't seem to get enough of him!

Here are a couple of photos. The first two are from Wednesday evening after he was born. Big sister, Frances, got to come up and visit for a few minutes (and yes she refused to take off her coat lol). The third one is of Robby from last night showing his pretty eyes open.

And my apologies to everyone who has been wondering where I was. I had a few hard weeks prior to Wednesday's delivery and just never could seem to get online to post. Thank you for your well wishes. And MAN do I have a lot of blog catch-up reading to do! lol

Two-Fer Twos-Day

2008-11-11T04:54:00.005-06:00

Yep, it's that time again! lol Hop on over to Deanna's Place to see who else is playing along today.

Frank and Marguerite turned 14 months old on Sunday, so they are my two-fer duo today. This picture was taken when they were just 1 month old. Marshie is the one waving. The "What the Hell???" look on Frank's face is because, in the previous photo, Marshie had smacked him upside the head. This is one of my favorite early shots of them together. I just can't help giggling when I see it.

And I failed this month with the 30 posts in 30 days. I didn't get to post last night as I was having some serious contractions. :( They're better, but still with me. I can't have the baby until after Rob gets back from China tomorrow though, so..... lol (Not like it would happen anyway. I've never dropped a baby early, including those two up there. *snicker* If we want to talk about having babies late though....) I'm still going to try to post everyday anyway as I like it.

Just because -- Frances got a Happy Meal yesterday (which I don't usually buy, but I thought 'eh what the hell') and in it was the Hippo from Madagascar II. She's been going around showing everyone her talking "Peeppo". She CAN say hippo by the way. She just chooses to make up names for things. lol She's a VERY creative for a 2 year old.

Happy Tuesday everyone! :)

Miscellaneous Weekend Photos

2008-11-09T20:13:00.003-06:00

First is Frances all dressed up to go with Ms. Tammy to the American Girl store on Friday. The girls and Tammy had a "girls day" outing. I'm not sure what tune Frances was listening to in her head, but she was just-a-dancing so I had to snap her picture. Frankie was sitting on the floor waiting on Mama to take him away. He went to the doc's office with me, so he could get a little Mama-Time alone.

Can YOU resist this grin???? Well, neither can I -- thus the snap of it. He uses it whenever he thinks he can get me to do something.... mostly I just grin back at him and take his picture. lol I just love frustrating toddlers!

Little Ms. Marshie stealing cheerios from her sister, Frances, this time. lol Frances was eating a bowl of cereal with milk (for the first time) and doing a fairly decent job, though she'd drop a few on the table and Marshie would gleefully steal and eat them.

Not too much to blog about......

2008-11-08T21:11:00.005-06:00

I did have a great day today though. Well, afternoon anyway. My good friend, Elissa, came over to help with the babies and we went shopping at Linens & Things (which is apparently going out of business for good). It was really nice to have someone helping with the babies as I'm having a hard time lifting them these days. I know it'll pass after Robbie is born, but it makes me feel quite useless/helpless at the moment. Usually I have someone here with me, but Rob's in China until Wednesday and Desse had his ROTC competition this weekend.

Elissa was so sweet though. She comes over to play with the babies, changes diapers & wipes noses without complaining...... and even washed my bed linens and remade the bed for me. I'm very lucky to have her. : ) Thanks Sweetie!!!

I did manage to buy Rob's Christmas gift today. I'd post about it, but he reads my blog! lol Frances was adorable while we were at Linens & Things. She got a new PINK polka dot pillow and I watched her feeling it and reaching out to touch other things... just feeling them. Then she held Elissa's teakettle as if her life depended on it. She's becoming such a little shopper! She also now has a set of PINK bedsheets (which I know she's been lusting after at different places - it's all about the pink lately). I think that she would have thrown a fit for them tonight, even though I haven't washed them yet, if we had not worn her out earlier. lol

Frankie and Marshie didn't seem to mind shopping for a change either. Frankie started to complain while we were in the linens area, but he hushed right up and stared in awe when we got to the kitchen things. lol I couldn't help laughing about that. Maybe he'll be my little chef! Marshie didn't make a peep. She stared around looking at things and watching the other people. It was cute.

At the checkout, Frances got a little set of lip glosses (7 to be exact), mostly in hopes that she will leave Mine alone! lol Not that I think that will happen of course...... She made friends with the lady behind us though, talking about her lip glosses. T'was really sorta cute.

Well now I'm just rambling. lol I seem to do that a lot. I'm just glad it was such a good day and I got to spend it with someone I can laugh and talk with. : ) It's SO nice to have another adult female around sometimes.

Phriday Photo Phiesta

2008-11-07T17:24:00.003-06:00

Candid Carrie hosts Phriday Photo Phiesta each week and this is the first time I've participated. It's always looked like so much fun, but I've just not taken the time before. Head over to Carrie's place and see who else is playing along!

I'm cheating a bit. I have two pics this week. lol

First, Marshie following her Grandma around the kitchen a couple of mornings ago. Grandma was TRYING to get her Cheerios and Marshie was stealing them, 2 or 3 at a time, from the bowl. Mama of course was sitting at the table giggling and snapping pictures. It's not great, but it shows what a little sneak my baby girl is! lol (And yes, I finally went to rescue Grandma and refill her cereal bowl.)

Second is Mr. Cool-Guy (aka Frankie) on his tractor. He was having a ton of fun playing with the sunglasses that Desse brought home for Frances. They're WAY too big, but as you can see from his grin, he didn't really care! lol (Please excuse the drool down his front... teething ya know.)

I hope everyone has a great Friday and a wonderful weekend!

Thursday's Thoughts

2008-11-06T17:22:00.005-06:00

Two kiddo stories:

First: Frances went running up to Tammy yesterday morning yelling, "Ms. Tammy! Ms. Tammy! I want to go to Walmart!"

Tammy was laughing and asked what she wanted at Walmart. Frances said she wanted to "see things". lol Her shopping skills have begun!!! Well, she ended up getting a pair of Tinkerbell boots that are aqua and purple, and as you can see from the photos below, she hasn't taken them off since! *giggles* (Even when they don't match her clothing.)

The second thing is:

Frankie, who will be 15 months old in three days, finally started walking!!!!!! YAY!! He's walked all over our dining room this afternoon and evening.

He's been taking a step or two for the last two months, but then won't try again for weeks. He's mostly walking sideways, but hey that's ok. I'll take what I can get. lol I know that soon he'll be walking up a storm.

Here he is clapping at his accomplishment. Whenever I say, "Good Job!!!" he starts clapping and giggling. Isn't he adorable?

Also went to the OB today. Nothing really new. Did a Non-Stress Test. Baby Robbie is VERY active. lol No big surprise to me. His heart rate stays between 160 and 170 because he's moving so much. I'm having tiny contractions that the machine picked up, but not enough to dilate my cervix. lol I didn't need THAT check today, I assure you!! No other news on that front though.

Way Back When-esday

2008-11-05T07:19:00.004-06:00

I decided to join Ms. Cheryl over at Twinfatuation for Way Back Whens-esday this week.

When I was looking for pretty blue eyes on for Sunday's post, I found this picture of Marguerite. To me, it's just sooooo sweet and innocent. She was just over 4 months old when it was taken at Christmas last year.

You have to understand -- Marshie has been the hardest baby I've had to deal with. She could not seem to stomach breast milk OR any other formula given to her for the first 6-7 months. We finally found ONE that worked so/so.... and it was a soy formula that constipated her. So yes, her first year was a battle. But honestly, at 10 months they had us switch her to cows milk and solid foods and she's been GREAT ever since. You would not believe that she had been such a hard baby to deal with now that she doesn't seem to have the stomach problems.

It broke my heart at times because there were people that honestly didn't like her/refused to be around her. She cried. ALL the time. But this picture shows just why she was so lovable, even during all that.

My sweet little Marguerite: (I love you baby girl!)

Now don't forget to pop over to Cheryl's Place and see who else is playing along.

Two-Fer Twos-Day & a silly/sweet conversation

2008-11-04T08:11:00.004-06:00

It's Two-Fer Tuesday again!!! Ms. Deanna at Eight is Great hosts this every week for us. Hop on over there to see who else is playing along. Trust me, there are some GREAT two-fer photos every week. :)

My favorite thing is to see a daddy holding his baby.... so today I'm showing off my Rob with each of our twins from Halloween night. First with Marshie, then with Frankie.

Now for the silly/sweet conversation ----

Last night as Desse was putting Frances to bed, she was running through the dining room (like the wild child that she is!), hugging everyone and telling them good night.

Frances (to me): Goodnight Cutie Pie!

Me (chuckling): Goodnight, Dumpling. (Giving her hugs and a kiss.)

Frances (reaches over and hugs the baby bump): Goodnight Baby Robbie. (Then she kisses the bump.) Take care of Cutie Pie.

I couldn't help laughing out loud. It was just SO sweet!

Of course, she ran off to Desse and he put her to bed right after that. Thank goodness I have a 16 year old that doesn't mind tucking his little sister in. (Man she'd be UPSET if he didn't! lol)

Itsy Bitsy Update

2008-11-03T07:47:00.003-06:00

Oops, I forgot to post on Friday that I saw the OB. lol Now we're going every week now. *wrinkles nose*

Yes, I had another sono. Gestational diabetes sucks - for anyone that doesn't know that already. Not only do you have the regular pregnancy worries, the diabetes worries for you and the baby, but also you have to work every visit around the sono-tech. lol Luckily I'll only have one more of those (if I make it the full 4 1/2 weeks).

The sono gave Baby Robbie a score of 8/8 - fetal movement, respiration, and.... well I can't remember the last one. Growth I think. They say he's weighing 6.09 pounds already. Nothing unusual with size. I've been told all of them are huge. They measure by head size and forget that my husband (and other children) have ENORMOUS heads. lol (As an example, the week before I had the twins I was told they were weighing over 9 pounds each! EEK!! Of course, they were 7lbs 2ozs and 8lbs 2ozs. Still big I suppose, but not THAT huge. lol)

As for movement, oh YES this child moves... and moves... and moves... and moves! This is by far the most active baby I've carried. And I finally look like I'm preggo -- but ONLY if I stand up and turn to the side. lol I have officially gained -12 pounds (lost 20 at the start, gained 8 as of Friday).

Next appointment on Thursday. :)

30 posts in 30 days....

2008-11-02T21:54:00.003-06:00

Well, this SHOULD be easier than trying to write a novel in 30 days. lol I didn't succeed at that last year, but I think this might work. I'm going to work hard to keep up.

Debi and Cheryl are taking up the challenge as well. :) I can only hope to keep up with these two lovely ladies.

Baby Picture Sunday - Big Blue Eyes!

2008-11-02T08:41:00.004-06:00

It's time for Big Eyes thanks to Debi over at Who Says 8 Is Enough? Hop on over there to see who else is playing along.

This one of Frances is from November of last year. She was at my office and I clicked it on the cellphone.

This one of Marshie when she was just a couple of months old. I swear she REALLY looks like a turtle there! lol

Mr. Camo/Rap Man! Frankie was only a month old in this photo.

Remember to head on over to Debi's site to play along.... and see some more adorable "Big Eyes"!

A couple of quick pics...

2008-11-01T20:41:00.004-05:00

Just a couple of quick pictures of the kids in their Halloween costumes.

First: Frankie and Marshie
They didn't have "costumes", just ears. Orange and black cat ears for Frank. Pink and black bunny ears for Marguerite. As you can see, they didn't care to keep them on! lol The black eyeliner faces stayed on a bit better though. They were too cute!

Second: Isaac and Frances
Don't ask me what/who Isaac was. He was just a black cape. lol Frances was "supposed to be" Tinkerbell, but she kept telling us she was a "princess", so I guess she was actually a Fairy Princess. lol Cute either way if you ask me, though I tend to be a bit biased.

They went out to the rec center across the street with Ms. Tammy, Alex and Desse to "trick or treat". Of course, everything was set up at tables --- but hey, it was all safe that way and the kids got a little bit of candy and some little toys. : )

Trust me, there are a TON of pictures over here. I just picked out two that showed the kids' costumes the best. I'll probably post more when I get a chance to really look at all of them. Hope everyone had a fun/safe Halloween!

Wordful Wednesday

2008-10-29T17:54:00.004-05:00

This is my first time to join Angie from Seven Clown Circus in Wordful Wednesday. It's for those of us that like to...er...expound...on our photos... so to speak. lol Hop on over to her site and see who else is playing along.

I just couldn't resist these two photos. Frances was "helping" Desse wash dishes on Monday night. As you can see she was doing a LOT to help him out. lol But she did enjoy herself and was learning that we all have chores that need to be completed before bedtime. It's good for her.

Two-Fer Twos-Day

2008-10-28T19:43:00.003-05:00

Yep, it's that time again! Thanks Deanna!!!

This was Desse messing around with Marguerite a few days ago. Marshie was wearing Desse's t-shirt -- and she wouldn't let us take it off of her for HOURS!!!! I thought this was too cute and just had to share.

Happy Tuesday to everyone! : )

Monday Musing - Family Stories

2008-10-27T20:21:00.003-05:00

Today Octamom issued the challenge for us to write out the oldest "family story" that we know. Sadly, even though my family is REALLY into telling stories, the ones I know are always about my father and aunt, my sister and brother (who are 17 and 19 years older than myself) along with my aunts three boys who were the same age, and about me, my younger brothers, and my cousins (which I've lived through).

The oldest story I know is that of my grandmother, whom I called Grandmama. She had two suitors when she was a young woman. She asked her mother how to choose between my grandfather and the other guy. (I think he was a jock, if I remember correctly.) Nanny told Grandmama to go home and have dinner with both families, watching how both boys treated their mother -- because that was how they would treat her. Apparently that's how she chose my Granddaddy. He was polite and loving with his own mother, and she knew he would be with her.

I know that my Granddaddy became a dairy farmer during the depression and that his family of four suffered little during that time.

I know a LOT of stories of my father as a boy, a young man and as he grew older - and at least the names of all of his wives -- EEK! I know a lot about my aunt, her courtship with my uncle (and they're still married!), about their children and grandchildren. I know a lot about my older brother and sister, as well as my younger brothers.

I know almost nothing about my mother. She passed away from complications from breast cancer in the early 70's. I was 2. My sister doesn't even tell me many stories of Mama's - childhood or womanhood - though I suspect she'd heard them. Only recently have we reconnected with my aunts from that side of the family, and I still have yet to meet them.

Octamom is right. In our society, photographs are taking over the role family history story telling. Photos are wonderful pieces of information, but if we lose the stories behind them, they suddenly lose a lot of their impact.

My Grandmama (her name was Odette -- which I've always been proud to call my own middle name) died when I was 14. After she was gone, my aunt found a photo of her stashed away in her things of a young Odette in the 1920's dressed in the "flapper girl" dress and sitting on the hood of a car. Oh how we ALL would have loved to know the story behind that photo!!! Sadly, now that she's gone, no one knows.

Share your photos, but also -- share the stories behind them. We need to make sure our children know their history, from their parents to grandparents to great grandparents and beyond.

Octamom's post has inspired me even more. My sister and I have talked about wanting to record all the stories my aunt knows (as she's the last one left on my father's side of the family), and I think there's no time like the present. After Robbie is born, I think that plan needs to be set in motion. I want those stories to pass on to my children and grandchildren!

Weekend Randomness & Ramblings

2008-10-26T21:48:00.007-05:00

It's been a fairly good weekend -- uneventful! (YAY!)

On Friday evening, Frances was standing next to the coffee table holding the insert to some "junk mail" before her eyes. Of course, 2 year old conversation ensued. lol

Mama: What are you doing, Frances?

Frances: (slowlllllly lowering the rectangle of paper to peep over it at me) I'm just reading (pronounced readin'), Mama. (Then the rectangle rose right back into place.)

And she stood there for nearly 10 minutes "reading" this rectangle of paper. lol Only a 2 year old, I swear!

Since then, whenever she has a book open or a piece of paper in her hands, she tells me, "I'm just reading, Mama."

Here's a picture of Frances -- though before I could snap the photo of her on her "motorcycle", Frankie just HAD to pop his head into the shot. lol

Then also on Friday night, Marshie got ahold of the jar of Gerber Grad's treats. We simply call them "stars" (as Frances nicknamed them when she first started eating them over a year ago). Of course, even at 14 months, Frankie and Marshie know when they're not supposed to be doing something..............

Hence you'll notice in the photo that not only are they trying to stuff both of their hands into said jar of stars at the same time, but Marshie is also tucked back up UNDER the table! Frankie's got one hand full and the other headed for the jar. Luckily these things literally melt in their mouth, or they would have choked they were stuffing them in so fast.

I admit, I was giggling too hard to be too hard on them. It was hysterical to watch. You'd think that they'd never been fed, let alone had eaten chicken nuggets, cheese blocks, yogurt and bagels less than an hour before this incident.

I have to say though, that Marshie eating makes me happy. Earlier this week she was running 104.5+ temps and the doc thought she might have a UTI. (NOT good for a baby girl apparently.) Our prayers were answered and that test came back negative. But sadly, it wiped her out. She spent almost four days doing nothing but sleeping or cuddling in my arms. I was DELIGHTED when she started eating again. I know babies will eat when they get hungry and all that jazz, but it's still rather scary when they suddenly stop eating like that. (One of the reasons that I wasn't posting most of last week.... I was cuddling a sick Marshie.)

Rob came home from China on Tuesday evening. We were SO happy to see him. Frances had to go to the airport with me to get him. While we were sitting at the airport waiting for him to come out, I asked Frances what she thought he ate over there:

M: Do you think they fed him turtles?

F: (with a perplexed look) No, Mama! You don't eat turtles.

M: How about aligators?

F: Uh... (Not really sure she knows if you can eat alligator or not by the look she gave me LOL) Nope!

M: How about elephants? You think he had to eat elephants?

F: Mama! Don't eat elephants!!!!

Yes, it was silly, but it was after 9 pm and after her bedtime. Silly songs only go SO far, and she really really really wanted to see Daddy so I was trying to keep her awake. Since then I've heard her mutter a time or two, "You don't eat turtles, Mama. And no elephants." lol She's beginning to remember things longer now. I think it's really cute!

Ok, enough ramblings for tonight. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! :)

Itsy Bitsy Update

2008-10-18T14:08:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was my last 1 month checkup. Of course, I think anyone else would be making 2 week checkups by now.... lol Must be the fact I've had so many so close together. ;)

Anyways, I had another sonogram yesterday. Baby Robbie apparently has a HUGE head. lol He's weighing almost 5 pounds now, and we still have a little over 6 weeks to go. Everything else was good though. I apparently have a bit extra fluid in there, but Doc B said that wasn't a surprise since I have the diabetes.

Frances went with me yesterday. She was VERY concerned about what Kelly (our sweet sono tech) was doing to me. She HAD to hold my hand the entire time, but she was very excited the moment she heard Robbie's heartbeat.

F: "What's that Mama?"

M: "That's Baby Robbie?"

F: "MY Baby Robbie?"

lol She was so cute. After we were finished, Kelly gave us a couple of 3D pictures of Robbie, which Frances carried around showing every nurse and Doc B telling them, "This is MY Baby Robbie." She was just so adorable!

I'm going to try to scan the pictures of Robbie later, but I anticipate them not turning out very well. We'll see.... if they're ok, I'll paste them up for everyone to see. The one thing I did notice about Robbie... he's got Frankie's cute little nose. lol (Which I do believe is their Daddy's cute nose, but shhhhhh don't tell him I said so. *wink*)

My Husband - A Meme

2008-10-18T12:19:00.004-05:00

Ok, so I've read this thing around the blog-o-sphere on a couple of different sites, and I finally can't resist answering the questions myself. Debi at Who says 8 is Enough? is the most recent contributor I've read. Go read her answers too. :)

1. He’s sitting in front of the TV: what is on the screen? Most of us rarely watch TV, especially Rob. (Except the little ones - they watch videos for an hour during the day)
2. You’re out to eat. What kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Blue Cheese!
3. What is one food he doesn’t like? brussel sprouts
4. You go out to the bar. What does he order? Guiness, Harp, Fat Tire - any dark (preferably imported) ale he can get. lol
5. Where did he go to high school? McLean, VA
6. What size shoe does he wear? 10
7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? Besides our children? lol He really likes hand blown glass paperweights and has quite a neat collection of them started.
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? I don't know that he has a favorite... sandwiches aren't really what he'd choose to eat.
9. What would the Husband eat every day if he could? Extra spicy Chinese food (and he's still in China at the moment lol) or Salmon... he LOVES the stuff just about any way he can get it.
10. What is his favorite cereal? Cheerios
11. What would he never wear? Sandals
12. What is his favorite sports team? None that I know of... he's not a big sports watching person
13. Who will he vote for? Obama/Biden
14. Who is his best friend?
15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn’t do? Go silent when I'm upset. (Something I'm working on lol)
16. How many states has he lived in? 4 that I know of (just don't ask how many he's visited lol)
17. What is his heritage? English/Welsh/German (possibly Irish? lol I really don't remember all of them)
18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind? Dark Chocolate with Chocolate Icing
19. Did he play sports in high school? Does Chess count?
20. What could he spend hours doing? Surfing the net.... (*whispers* and creating babies LOL).... Riding his motorcycle...

I had to leave 14 blank because I don't think he actually has ever said he HAS a best friend. If you're his friend, you're his friend. Period. lol

And just because.... here's my sweetie...er...tough guy on his motorcycle. :)

Little Piano Players

2008-10-16T17:29:00.004-05:00

Today everyone was playing on the piano, and I just couldn't resist taking pictures/video. These are the ones that turned out really well.

Frances LOVES to play the piano and has since she was about 8 months old. Frankie is following in her footsteps. I'm ready to get her piano lessons. I think she would LOVE it.

Marshie will join in for a few minutes, but her thing is dancing. lol Guess she'll be the ballerina while the other two are musicians.

Here's the picture of all three at the piano. Notice how HAPPY Frankie is. :)

And the little video of Frances and Frankie playing the piano. I know it's not Mozart or anything, but it's also not awful (especially considering there are two playing at the same time lol).

It's Thursday!!

2008-10-16T07:02:00.005-05:00

And yes, I'm SOOOOO glad it's Thursday. Why you may ask? Well, because it's the day AFTER the taxes were due (yes, we took a double extension... again!) and I got the darned things filed and sent! Yay!!!! (And of course that means I can blog TOTALLY guilt free today. lol)

We finally got over to the Pumpkin Patch on Monday, but I just haven't had the time to post the pictures. Here are a few.... trust me, there were MANY more. lol (Comes from having a camera crazy Mama, I know. lol)

Marguerite was delighted to have the freedom to run. I have a LOT of shots of her trying to run free. (Mostly shots of her backside I must say. lol) Frankie was sleepy and didn't really want to do much. He rode in the wagon or sat in the pumpkins when we put him there. We were just greatful he wasn't cranky. Frances was running around playing and giving me these coy, "try to catch me if you can," looks. lol Two year olds!

Now, on to the pictures:

Frances with Charlie Brown

Frankie chewing on his hay. lol (He's such a little farmer boy, isn't he?)

Marshie in a version of dress up (and Ms. Tammy hiding down there behind holding her) --- Marshie was NOT going to leave this little scarecrow dress until she got to have her picture taken with it. lol

My babies and the pumpkins -- this is my favorite shot from the whole day... it's also my laptop background.

Frances trying to pick up the pumpkin she chose for Desse's girlfriend, Alex.

Frances and the pumpkin she chose for herself.

Marshie chooses her pumpkin.

And Frankie just rides in the wagon. Mama had to choose his pumpkin for him, but he sorta liked Alex's too. lol

A couple of last pictures here - All four of us together courtesy of Ms. Tammy. It's not often I am in the picture. (With good reason - I hate being in pics. lol Besides, it reminds me I need to put a bit more blonde in my hair.)

So that's all the cute baby pictures for now. : ) I did manage to hide my growing baby tummy behind the twins, though I wasn't really trying. I have a sono scheduled for tomorrow morning and Frances is going with me -- to listen to HER baby Robbie's heartbeat. (Yes, I've been informed that baby Robbie belongs to her already. lol)

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thursday!

Two-Fer Twos-Day

2008-10-14T10:31:00.005-05:00

Sweet Deanna is up to it again..... it's TWOS-DAY! Join us all over at Eight is Great and play along.

Here's my picture for this week. Two of my brothers, Bit (obviously his nickname lol) and Shaun. I miss them greatly, and haven't seen them in MONTHS. (And unless one of them gets time off from their jobs to come up here and visit, I probably won't see them until after baby Robbie is born.)

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Two Year Old Chatter

2008-10-12T19:49:00.004-05:00

So Little Miss has had a few cute conversations the last day or so. (By the way, these are in absolutely no order what-so-ever. Just what I remember as I'm typing. lol)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Frances (with a little tin pie pan in hand): Have some Mama.

Mama: Mmmmmm. What are we eating?

Frances: Cheerios.

Mama (trying not to giggle): Cheerios?

Frances: Cheerios. And strawberries. YUUUUUUMMY......!

(Of course, everytime she approaches you with the little pie plates, you have to ask her what you're imagining you're eating -- it changes by the moment: tarts, cookies, pies, cereal, cake, different varieties of fruit, pizza, you name it!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mama (as I was talking to Daddy on the cellphone): Frances, you want to talk to Daddy?

Frances: Yes!

(I can't hear Rob's side of the conversation - he's in China, so this is the only way we'll be talking to him until the 21st - but Frances's side went something like this.)

Frances: Hi Daddy! (pause while he said something then,) Oh yes. (another pause) I love you.

Then she pulled away to "talk to Daddy" on her own cellphone rather than talk to him for real! lol

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mama (to Daddy, who had hung up before I finished talking to him): Turd. Brat.

Frances: Daddy is a turd-brat.

Don't ask me where I get the silly names I call people (especially when I'm not mad... those, like this one, are the silliest), but I suppose that "turd-brat" is better than SOME of the things that she could repeat. lol And, luckily for me, she usually forgets the one-off comments like that. I'd be in SO much trouble otherwise.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Desse (to Frances): Do you want to go with me? (heading to the grocery store)

Frances: Yes!

Desse: Go ask Mama.

Frances (running into the familyroom): I'm going with Desse!

Desse: I said "ASK" not "tell".

Frances (to me): I'll be right back, Mama. (She then proceeded to grab Desse's hand and pull him out the door. lol)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Desse (to Frances): Come in here and you can have a bite of my icecream.

Frances: YAY! (Then she ran into the kitchen, grabbed her little bowl and headed over to Desse.)

Presumptuous isn't she?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grandma: You're a great big helper.

Frances: No. I'm Frances Audrey.

lol

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Frances (talking about a little stuffed cat): This is Audrey's kitty.

Mama: It is? What color is it?

Frances: Pink. (Then holding up another stuffed cat:) But this one is Marshie's.

Mama (thinking they all belong to Frances): Why is that?

Frances: Because it's brown. I like pretty.

Ooookkkkk... I guess brown kitties aren't as pretty as pink kitties. lol Wait until she grows up and finds out there aren't any pink kitties in this world!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She was sitting on my bed earlier playing with a tiny babydoll and a bag full of Glamour Girl doll clothes. She kept putting the baby (Marshie -- she calls all babies Marshie) on the pillow and telling her, "Go to sleep." Then she'd cover "Marshie" with a "blanket" (which was actually a terrycloth robe for the bigger doll), and turn her on her side. Then she'd snore for "Marshie" for a second. After a minute or two she'd start shaking "Marshie's" head telling her, "Wake up! Wake up now! Wake up!" ((That's how she gets Desse up in the mornings. LOL))

Honestly, the list goes on. She's so smart and getting so big. I love watching her learn and play. She's gotten so creative too. Her imagination has really kicked in during this last week or so.

Here's a picture of her from this afternoon. She was trying to be helpful. Desse was breaking down boxes after helping Grandma unpack, and she was telling me how "heavy" the empty box was. Probably was too -- it was as big as her! lol

Uuuuh-Huh...

2008-10-12T13:43:00.003-05:00

Well Ms. Cheryl at Twinfatuation posted this little test about blogging.

Your Blogging Type is Unique and Avant-Garde

You're a bit ... unusual. And so is your blog.

You're impulsive, and you'll often post the first thing that pops in your head.

Completely uncensored, you blog tends to shock... even though that's not your intent.

You tend to change your blog often, experimenting with new designs and content.

Now it's your turn... What's" Your Blogging Personality?

Can't say I completely agree with it, but I can't say I completely disagree either. LOL I'm definitely unusual (I mean, who else do you know that would have a baby, twins 14 months later, another sington 15 months after that, and STILL say that if she's blessed with more children it's ok? lol), and I definitely write whatever comes to mind, but I don't think there's anything in my blog that's a real shock. Well, ok - Maybe that last revelation, but I'm not sure that counts!

Trying new flavors

2008-10-10T20:50:00.003-05:00

And for Friday, we have two little ones trying Dill flavored chips. (Well ok, Frances tried them too, but she loved them. No cool picutres of her. *giggles*)

Frankie didn't seem to mind too much. They were a little weird, but...

Marshie was the one startled by the first bite. lol

It didn't deter her though. She kept right on eating.

All three kiddos liked the dill chips. Mommy won't be buying THAT many of them for snack time, but I suppose once in a while it's good to have a change. Yes?

This TRYING week.... Chaos!

2008-10-09T21:04:00.006-05:00

Just the ramblings (whinings) of an expectant mother - only 8 weeks to go!

As I mentioned a few times my mother-in-law, Frances, moved in with us Tuesday a week ago. Well this week on Monday not only did her things arrive, but she told me she had not been taking some of her medication for five days because she was "out". I was frustrated she hadn't told me earlier, but I got on the phone, called around and found her an internal med doctor that works only with elderly patients. (He came highly recommended by one of my doctors.) They were kind and managed to get her scheduled for the very next day. And this was after dealing with the guys moving her stuff down from Virginia, returning our rented U-Haul trailer, dropping off Rob's shirts at the cleaners, and a few other assorted errands -- all in the rain of course. But then, I think the rain was the BEST part of the day. (I SO love rain! *giggles*)

So we come to Tuesday. I managed to get all my running around (office stuff for Rob) done early, got back here to get Mom and we went to the doc's office. She refused to let me go with her into the office, so like an idiot, I agreed to go and let her wait by herself. I SHOULD have known better (and probably would have put up more of a fight if I hadn't needed to get an anniversary gift for Rob for the next day lol). The receptionist was VERY ugly to her, told her that she had been scheduled the day before, and that she wouldn't be able to come back to the office until 10/13. So I rushed back over there, had a LONG fight with her, got the head nurse/administrator involved and guess what.... we got to see the P.A. They were concerned about Mom being out of her pills, until she revealed that she'd "found" her pills but wasn't taking them. *Side note* I could have killed her right about that moment!!!! *end side note* But in the process of examining her, the nice lady P.A. discovered Mom had pneumonia. (Apparently flying is not good for older people... she said almost all of their patients get sick when they fly.) She couldn't decide if she should send Mom home or straight to the hospital, but opted for antibiotics, home and an appointment for 1pm on Wednesday with a chest x-ray scheduled 1 hour prior. Later that evening, Rob came home from California, bawled me out for not knowing better than to leave Mom on her own at her doctor's appointment, bawled Mom out for not taking her pills and we all went to bed.

Wednesday: Rob left on an 8ish flight to Washington, DC. I came home from the airport and tried to lie down for a little while... I hate it when I don't sleep at night.... but ended up having to get up about 1/2 hour later when the guy from Verizon showed up to install the cable. (Yes, we were a family living without cable believe it or not. We don't watch television except what we get on DVD anyway. We're doing this for Mom.) Needless to say, he left 2-1/2 hours later saying he didn't have a CLUE why it wouldn't work but that I needed to call and reschedule with a different tech because he was at wits end. Great. So off we go to the doctor's office. (Mind you, Mom can barely walk anyway, so she uses a walker, a cane and/or a wheelchair to get around. Getting in and out of the truck is a bit time consuming too. Poor thing.) I'll spare y'all (and my poor tortured memory) most of the details, but suffice it to say nothing went right. The x-ray people didn't have their orders to do the work, so after an hour I walked the VERY long walk to the doc's office to force them to send the orders, back to the x-ray office, get Mom, back to the doc's (which we're 50 minutes late to our appointment by then) only to be told (by said NASTY receptionist) that they have other patients and it'll be nearly another 45 minutes before they see us. Did I mention that Tammy and the babies went with us? So yeah, we have three weary toddlers along as well. (Though I warned Tammy about that before we left and she still wanted to get out of the house and come along. lol) After they FINALLY called us back, the nice P.A. did a very thorough job of taking care of Mom, doing an EKG, giving her a breathing treatment, chewed her out (kindly, but firmly) for not having all her meds along like she'd been told the day before, and finally decided that it was ok not to have her in the hospital. They did schedule her for a return visit on Tuesday afternoon though to check up on her. Then we were off. It was just after 4 pm, I still had to make it to the bank to get money for Rob (to take with him to China this morning), pick up his dry cleaning, pick up the gifts at the office that he purchased for clients and friends in China, get his prescriptions, AND get home in time to finish laundry and get his bags packed before his plane arrived back from DC at 7:45pm. Well I screwed that up too. He came in at 6:45. lol We got home at 6:20. Guess what? He took a taxi home from the airport last night! (And needless to say, I was SO tired from pushing a 230 pound woman around in a wheelchair that I was totally exhausted and could barely drag myself out of bed to even give him a hello kiss. I felt terrible about that.... well, I still do actually.)

For the second night in a row, I didn't sleep much at all. I was awake by 2 am and out of bed by 4 something this morning trying to finish up the minor things in Rob's packing and get him going. We left the house at 5:10 am to get him to the airport. (There is definitely an advantage to living 15/20 minutes from DFW - depending on traffic. lol) I came home, everyone was back in bed (Mom), still in bed (Frances, Frankie and Marshie), or gone to school (Desse), so I laid back down. BIG mistake! I knew I had to get the babies ready to have flu shots at 9:30, and was planning on having them up and fed before Tammy got her at 8. Rob called me at 6:34 am to tell me he was on the plane and shutting his phone down (yeah, I like getting one last "I love you" in. I'm schmoopy I'm told. But I still make him call me lol) and asked if I'd been asleep. Nope. But between that phone call and 7:50 when Tammy arrived, I apparently DID fall asleep. We did, somehow, manage to get out of the house (with fed AND dressed toddlers) and to the doc's office on time. I give ALL the credit to Tammy. All three babies did great with their shots. Marshie cried for several minutes. Frances wrinkled up her face, cried for a couple of seconds. Frankie whined for a second, then totally stopped. That was the extent of the shots today. Frankie did get on the scale though. He weighs 23 pounds 2 ounces. YAY!!! He's been eating like CRAZY the last couple of weeks, so I asked them to weigh him today. He and Marshie are 14 months old today. : )

Needless to say, I came home from that - well ok, we went grocery shopping on the way home first - and fell into bed. I slept until 4 pm this afternoon! I NEVER sleep 4 hours during the day. lol I feel really guilty, but after hurting yesterday and being so exhausted I couldn't sleep, I was thankful for the sleep I did get today.

And just in case anyone wonders... this is what our dining room (the very first room you walk into from the front door) looks like - and has since Monday:

View from the front door -

View from the familyroom doorway -

Luckily I have a VERY nice lady (our house cleaning and office cleaning lady) coming to help Mom unpack on Saturday. Not only will I pay her well for all her help, I just might have to kiss her too if she gets some/all of this crap out of my dining room!!!! rotflmao

Rob will be gone to China for two weeks. I already miss him SO much, but that's because he's been gone a lot leading up to this trip. I told him he couldn't go ANYWHERE else once he gets back. lol Well, ok, maybe to DC. I know he has to go to the patent office every couple of weeks.

Tomorrow I have nothing definite scheduled. Tammy and I want to take the kids to the Pumpkin Patch which opened about 6 miles north of us. That's it - that's the extent of my planning. I figure I'll take anything else as it comes.

I'm still thankful today that everyone is relatively well or mending, that my kids are happy and healthy, that my family all loves one another enough to put up with all this chaos, and that I have a wonderful nanny who doesn't mind putting up with an 84 year old Grandma that talks all the time. She's a true lifesaver.

And of course, I'm also praying for Rob to have a safe trip to/from/in China.

I also really appreciate anyone who made it to the end of this post without a) wanting to kill me for all the whining or b) thinking I should be committed.

Baby Picture Sunday - It's a Birthday Party!

2008-10-05T16:52:00.003-05:00

In honor of Emma and Will's birthday, Mama Debi over at Who Says 8 is Enough? asked us all to post birthday pictures. Hop on over there and see who else is playing.

Today we have Frances from June of this year.... her 2nd birthday. She didn't get messy at all!

My Mouth Runneth Over....

2008-10-03T21:23:00.003-05:00

Or maybe I should say "runneth on," I really just don't know. I DO know that my mouth got away from my brain this morning and embarrassed our nanny, Tammy.

HOW you might be wondering? Well, Mr. Frankie-boy had stuck his hand into his Daddy's coffee cup (yes he's Mr. Mischievious too lol) and when Tammy walked back into the room I told her, "Frankie needs a hand job." Now, what I MEANT to say was, "Frankie needs a hand CLEANING," but it didn't come out that way.

Tammy was quite embarrassed, but I was more so. I played it down and everybody laughed, but darn I STILL feel so stupid! lol

And here's my new favorite photo of my sweet boy. I just love his pretty blue eyes..... So much like his daddy's. : )

Thankful Thursday - My Frances Scare

2008-10-02T19:34:00.005-05:00

So my mother-in-law (the original Frances) who is 84 moved in with us officially on Tuesday. Yesterday we had our first 'official' scare and it only partially involved her.

Since Mom's things are still in transit, we called a medical equipment rental company to rent her a bed while we're waiting on her furniture to come down from Virginia. Well, it didn't arrive until Wednesday. So on Tuesday night, Mom slept in my 2 year old, Frances', bed. The little one didn't sleep well that night, finally passing out around 2:30 am on the couch, but that was only because she isn't used to any bed but her own.

Unbeknownst to Mom (and to us!) one of Mom's pill strips fell out of her bag in Frances' bed. When Tammy (our nanny) put Frances down for a nap yesterday, she didn't see that strip. About 45 minutes into her nap, Frances fell out of bed -- hitting her head rather hard I might add -- and when Tammy went to get her, she found Frances rather unresponsive clutching that pill strip.

Yes, I admit it, I freaked just a bit. We've tried to be SO careful with pills around our babies. We rushed her to the hospital (which is less than 2 miles from our house) and they took her in the ER immediately.

I'll spare the long drawn out ER visit details (everyone's had them), but I will say that the people at Lewisville hospital were VERY kind to us. They not only took care of Frances, they worried about me being preggo so they made sure I had food and made me sit as much as possible, while reassuring me that the sleeping pills that Frances got a hold of were not going to kill her.

My poor Rob was in Houston on business and ended up cutting things short to take an earlier flight home. I didn't want him to, but I knew it was out of concern. I don't know though who he was more worried about - Frances or me. (I tend to "overtax" myself when I'm worried. I just can't seem to stop myself. And he knows it better than anyone. Ssshhhh... that's not something I actually like to admit, but I do notice it every now and then. lol)

We were transfered to another hospital within an hour or so, only because this hospital doesn't have the facilities to monitor pediatrics closely enough. We stayed overnight at Med City last night for observation, but Frances had good vitals all night long. She slept off the effects of the pill she took in the afternoon. Praise God, it looks as if she only took one.

Frances did stay up until 1:30 am this morning though. lol So.... two sleepless nights in a row for a rather tired Mama, but at least my little darling is ok.

So what I'm most thankful for today: That for everything that "could have" happened, nothing did. We spent a night in the hospital, Frances was poked, prodded, monitored, and generally hassled, and I slept (hahahahahaha) on the MOST uncomfortable bed in the world, but.... truly God is good.

And here's the lastest picture I have of Frances. It was actually from Tuesday shortly after "Grandma" arrived:

Two-Fer Twos-Day

2008-09-30T16:41:00.002-05:00

Yep, it's that time of week again! Eight is Great hosts Two For Twosday every week. Go on over and see who else is playing along! :)

This week we have Ms. Frances sitting on the edge of the bouncy while I was trying to take a picture of 2 month old Frankie. Those two seemed to have a really special relationship from the day the twins were born. I guess that's because Frankie is the more easy going of the twins. lol

Hope everyone has a WONDERFUL Tuesday!

Picture Taking

2008-09-29T17:27:00.004-05:00

So Friday evening I had to re-dress all three little ones, so I thought it was a great opportunity to take a picture of all three of them together for Daddy. Hahahahahahahaha! WHAT was I thinking???

They NEVER sit still!!!

Butt - of course - I couldn't resist this one! lol They were watching Isaac play with the dog, Sweetheart, outside. That's WAY more interesting than Mommy and her camera.

Frances and Marguerite standing on the couch. They look SO solemn, don't they?

Here's Mr. Frankie after he became the bottom tier on the "dog pile". Frances piled right on top of him and he got the giggles!

I didn't get the most wonderful pictures of the threesome out of it, but we all had fun trying! There was lots and lots of jumping on the couch (Frankie's favorite pasttime), dog watching, and giggling. As well as lots of picture taking by Mommy. Daddy will have a new background for his computer while he's in China anyway. lol

+++++ And as a quick update, my c-section has been scheduled for 12/3 at 7:30 am. So looks like Little Robbie will be joining us soon. :)

Rob says I'm in "nesting mode" because I keep cooking these last couple of days. (Wait until he finds out that I baked a spice cake for dessert tonight.... lol) Honestly, I've felt so bad the last couple of months that I've only grudgingly cooked, so now that I feel better I WANT to cook. Sometimes I think he forgets I actually LIKE to do it. lol

Baby Picture Sunday - Spaghetti Everywhere!!

2008-09-28T14:40:00.004-05:00

Sweet Mama Deb over at Who Says 8 is Enough? hosts Baby Picture Sunday every week. This week's theme is Spaghetti Heads. Run on over and see who else is joining in the fun!

I know I have pictures of Frances eating spaghetti for the first time somewhere, but I just couldn't find them. Probably taken on film and not scanned. Argh!!!

Here's Frankie's first go at spaghetti:

Including tipping his dish to see if there was anything beneath it...

And finally just being rather happy with himself (AND his mess! lol)

Marguerite didn't then (and still doesn't) like spaghetti. She does not like being messy. lol She's such a pristine little eater!

Hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend!

Way Back When-esday

2008-09-24T20:38:00.003-05:00

Every week Ms. Cheryl at Twinfatuation hosts Way Back When-esday. Go on over and see who else is playing along. (There are some GREAT photos!)

Frankie and Marshie were all of 5 days old in this shot. We'd been home one whole day. Everyone in the family wanted to know "HOW do you feed twins?" Yeah, I rolls my eyes still. Like every Mama, you just DO it. lol (This was one of the "supplemental" feedings. Much to my disappointment Marshie never did take to breast feeding though - at all!)

Have a great Wednesday everyone!!!

Two-Fer Twos-Day

2008-09-23T19:29:00.004-05:00

It's that time of week again! Eight is Great hosts Two-For Twos-Day. Don't forget to head over and see who else is playing along!

Today Tammy and I were still sorting through clothes (Frances is OUT of 2T and Marshie is out of 12 month), but Frances found a great use for the growing mound of clothes in the middle of the floor.

Yep, she decided to pull Marguerite round and round and round and round and round in circles! Frankie joined in too, but I didn't get any good pictures with him in the wagon.

I'll try to post the video of Frances attempting to pull both of them later.

Sibling Rivalry a la Twins

2008-09-21T17:19:00.004-05:00

So I put Frank and Marguerite into a chair to take their picture earlier this morning. ((I don't get many of them together, as they SO don't sit still (though it's getting easier). It's also almost impossible to get them to sit next to each other for even one second! *sigh*))

Here is the first picture: (which I really like by the way lol)

Then Marshie decided she wanted Frankie OUT OF HER CHAIR!!!!

Needless to say, I was giggling pretty hard while I was taking these photos. I would never let them hurt one another, but watching things like this (where they are both laughing - well ok, Marshie was determined and Frankie was laughing AT her...) really is quite hilarious. As you can see by the last picture, she managed to oust him too! lol

Twins are SO much fun. We really are blessed. :)

Park Day

2008-09-21T10:34:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we went to Desse's NJROTC picnic at the park around the corner. This is his third year in ROTC, and our third year to attend the picnic. It's a great get together for all the families. I didn't get pictures of him or his girlfriend, Alex, mostly because they hide from the camera. I did, however, find that I could get pictures of Frances, Frankie and Marshie playing on the playground.

They couldn't get away from the camera while trapped in the swings!! Boy they loved swinging -- the twins think it's fun to swing back to back, though they kept trying to see what the other was watching.

I only had about 25 people (literally) ask me, "Are they twins?" I read twin books while I was preggo that said I'd end up hating that question and I thought that was ridiculous, but you know.... grrrrr! lol I still don't know why that one question grates on my nerves so!

Frances likes to swing, but the following pictures show she found something she liked even better. I couldn't KEEP her at the swing set!

She kept telling us she wanted to play on the "pig". LOL I kept telling her it was a hippo, which she would repeat after me, but then ask to go play on the "pig" again. Silly girl!!

Lunch was nice. Hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, cookies, soda and water. The babies got their first taste of chocolate chip cookies. Frankie smeared his EVERYwhere, while Marshie sucked on hers a bit, then dropped it in the cup holder on the stroller (as Alex found as we were cleaning everyone up).

I finally got to meet Angel and Natalie as well. Angel is a senior, trying to complete high school with her 8 month old daughter in tow. I've so been there! We've given her baby clothes for Natalie, and as Marshie is growing out of the next size, I give those to her too. I'm very proud of her for continuing to go to school. She's such a sweet girl and so is her little one.

The ROTC teams performed amid many cheers and with few mistakes. The babies and I came home after a couple of hours, but Desse stayed until the party was over. All three of the little ones were so worn out they slept for 2 1/2 hours!! lol All in all I'd say everyone had fun.

More Sibling Rivalry

2008-09-15T19:12:00.005-05:00

So Frankie's favorite new relaxation spot is in the swing. He's always loved to swing, but as he's getting too big for it I haven't been putting him in it. Tammy (our new nanny) has been letting him swing though, and boy is he in heaven!!!!

Proof:

Now Frances, however, is VERY jealous. She remembers when that swing belonged to HER. lol On Saturday morning I came back into the family room to find Frankie on the floor crying "AU-DEE!!" at her, and her.... well... guess where. Yep, IN the swing!!!

As you can see, the little rat is too big for said swing. lol She has figured out though that she can lift the tray and "gently" pull on Frankie's feet and he will slide right on out to the floor on his behind. He sits there screaming "Au-Dee" at her while she swings and giggles.... and sings. That's where she goes to practice singing the Veggie Tales theme song. lol

You know, you've just got to love two year olds!!!!

Sick Kiddies ++

2008-09-13T05:00:00.009-05:00

Well it looks like it's going around. Everyone seems to be sick lately, and the babies managed to get the "beginning of the school year" virus (according to the doc) that Isaac brought over last weekend. All of them are still stuffy and coughing, but at least the fever is gone. Of course, guess who has it now... yep, me! That's why I've been up since 2am. lol (At least - as Rob's mom says - Baby Robbie can't catch it yet. lol Still another 8 ish weeks in the cooker....)

I've been following the news on Ike. I may not live there anymore, but Houston is still my hometown. And yeah, I'm praying for lots of family and friends down there. Love you guys!!!!

So -- the little guys were starting to feel better on Thursday night, and Daddy pulled out his bass and amp to practice on - just a bit before bedtime. Here are a few shots:

Rob playing bass

Frances has learned to hold Marshie's hand and lead her around - here they are trying to make dance moves together. lol

Yay!! Marshie says this is fun! (She's learned to clap her hands - now if we could teach Frankie....)

Daddy's soundman -- Frankies LOVES to play with the nobs and red light on the amp.

Laughing to the bass-beat! (Both hands on the amp, "feeling" the notes)

And the real PLUS news: Frances has learned to go to the potty!!! Shes's still in Pull-Ups at night, but she's wearing panties during the day. We still have accidents, but this is a HUGE step. A couple of times today we gave her a little piece of chocolate as incentive (AFTER she successfully went and didn't have an accident), but I realized this afternoon that sliced American cheese works just as well. She calls it her, "squishy cheese." (Creative mind - that child has) rotfl It's hard for me to believe she's already 27 months old. I know... it's a Mommy Thing. Rob reminds me of that from time to time.

Frances has been patting and rubbing my tummy telling me, "You have a baby. Baby Robbie." It's really cute. It's going to be hysterical the first time he kicks her -- I can already imagine the look on her face!

Also, if anyone has any suggestions on how to break said 2 year old from taking all her siblings toys and calling them "MINE!!!", I'll gladly listen. I want her to learn to share, but I hate to keep taking things away from her and telling her "That's Frankie's" or "That's Marshie's".

More silly conversations

2008-09-03T15:56:00.003-05:00

Frances was very unhappy earlier that her Daddy called me twice within about three minutes: first to let me know that he was out of his meeting, then to ask me a business question. The problem was.... she wanted me to finish the song I was singing to her. "Itsy Bitsy Spider" was the song (with hand motions) - if anyone is wondering.

Of course, she very politely stood by while I talked on the phone, though her hand was on her hip the second time. When I hung up she told me, "Enough, Mommy. Enough!"

I started giggling, and she rolled her eyes at me. Then she requested that I sing her song, "Again, Mommy. Now!"

*snicker* Bossy little girl, isn't she????

I probably shouldn't laugh, but sometimes these conversations just crack me up. I know she's being bossy and I shouldn't let her, but I figure that sort of bossy isn't going to hurt anyone (including me) in the long run. She has finally figured out no matter how bossy she is (or how many times she slyly tries it), I'm still NOT going to let her climb up and sit on the table. lol I can't believe at 2 just how many limits she pushes. I don't remember the boys starting this early. Just a girl thing maybe?

Two-Fer Twos-Day

2008-09-02T10:57:00.003-05:00

It's that time again!!!

Deanna over at Eight is Great is wonderful to let us all play on her Two for TWOS-Day's. Thanks so much!

With my 3rd anniversary coming up in a little over a month, I decided I would post a pic of my sweet Rob and I at the wedding. His friend brought his little triplets and we got down on our knees to show them our rings. They were SO excited by the rings part of the ceremony.

We've always joked that they were our inspiration for having four kids in just over three years. (Frances, the twins 14 months later, Robbie should be 16 months after them. lol)

Anyways... here's the photo.

Don't forget to go over to Deanna's Place and see who else is playing today.

Toy Time

2008-09-01T16:47:00.006-05:00

What happens when a 2 year old and a 1 year old want the same toy?

My sister actually bought this thing for Frances before she was born. She's loved it since she was old enough to play with it. (And I think we set it up when she was only a couple of months old at that.... talk about wanting her to play early on! LOL) Frankie and Marshie also love it. Just recently they ALL have decided it belongs to each one of them. lol Thus the fighting has ensued! Marshie just gave up today and left the cat fight to Frank and Frances. I was trying so hard not to laugh while using the camera to video them.

I did manage to get a couple of good pictures of the twins together too. It's so difficult to photograph them together, especially since Marguerite walks now. They travel in different directions these days and they NEVER sit still! Here they are:

Foot Report

2008-08-31T11:01:00.006-05:00

So the foot that Frances stuck the earring in is looking really good, but she had something in the heel of her other foot that I've been worried about for a little over a week. I've soaked it (well... her) in Epsom salt at least three times this week, hoping it would get better, but Friday she really started complaining it hurt. Nothing had come out, or even to the surface, after the soakings, and I hadn't found anything when I probed at it, so I called the Doc. They agreed to see her yesterday morning at 9am.

It took three people (Carol, the PA seeing her, Holly, the nurse, and Rob) to hold her down, but finally Carol managed to get a huge log (er.... splinter) out of that foot. Poor baby!!! She feels SO much better now! And surprisingly, there was no infection. It was just working its way further and further into her foot.

Of course, I feel silly taking her to the doc for something as trivial as a splinter. I'm her Mom, I should have been able to get that out myself. (Guilt sucks! lol)

Here's a few pics of her from yesterday morning before we left.

And of course in the super girl cape that Bubba Desse brought for her... :)

Itsy Bitsy Update

2008-08-29T19:44:00.002-05:00

In an itsy bitsy post too... lol!

Now that we know we're having a boy, and that we're going to name him Robert the Fourth.... I told Rob that we have to take him down to Mary Bess and Cassie to have him photographed in his and his father's baptismal gowns. Unfortunately, since I have really big babies, I'm sure he'll have to be pretty young. lol Luckily it's only a 4 hour drive to Houston. It's great to have an aunt and uncle who are photographers!

Mr. and Ms. Mischief

2008-08-27T17:36:00.007-05:00

So this morning the babies were being TOO quiet while I dressed Frances. I went looking for them and what did I find???

Notice that Marshie is not in this photo. She took off as soon as she saw me! lol She knew they weren't supposed to be pulling all the shoes down off the shelves. (Yes, I have too many pairs of shoes for the babies, but I hate to get rid of the ones I had for Frances.... I keep them for Marshie to grow into. Plus ones given to me for Frankie.)

And here is Ms. Marguerite from last night. She kept stealing my brush!! Not like she has hair to use it on yet! *giggles* (As a matter of fact, she's running around with it again right now. She loves that thing.)

Frances, however, does have enough hair. The following two pictures (from this morning) are her first piggie tails! I just couldn't resist taking pictures. She is just too cute!!! (Yes, I'm biased. I'm allowed.)

I've been giving her "pony tails" (just one tail in a band) for a while, but there's finally enough to split into two. I admit, it's one of the things I've been dying to do with her hair. lol I was raised with four younger brothers, then raised two boys, so I have just been itching to get my hands on her hair and play!

And as for Mr. Mischief up there --- his Daddy was trying to take a nap earlier and Frankie was crawling all over him. Then he tried to put his fingers into the opening of Rob's polo and pull on his chest hairs. *snicker* I do feel for Rob, but I also find it quite funny. One day, Frankie's going to have little ones that pull on his chest hair though, and OOOOOHHHHHH will we remind him of these moments! lol

Two-Fer Twos-Day

2008-08-26T19:23:00.006-05:00

Deanna over at Eight is Great ( http://justuseight.blogspot.com/ ) hosts Two For Twos-day. Here I am, finally playing along this week.

My favorite two-some picture. Frankie was only three weeks only, but his big sister was watching over him while he napped.

Marshie was 5 months old when we were trying to get a picture of Frances holding her. The cutie pie just leaned over to give little sis a kiss. : )

And, of course, here are the little terrors from this afternoon. They decided to give our doggie kennel a thorough inspection. lol Double trouble AND double fun!

(Of course, I'm over doing it. lol Three pics instead of one. But hey, it's my first time to play along!) Remember to head on over to Deanna's blog to see who else is playing, and thanks for letting everyone join in your fun!

Silly Conversations

2008-08-23T20:33:00.002-05:00

Two year old conversations...... lol

Frances stepped on an earring today and her foot really hurts. I would be a lot more worried if she hadn't had her shots, but I'll keep a close eye on it and call the Doc on Monday if she's not better.

Gwen, Frances, and I were sitting at the table about 10 minutes ago (with me trying to get Frances to eat some spaghetti to no avail.... again), when she starts saying:

Frances (whining): My foot hurts.

Me: Awww... poor thing.

Frances: (pouting)

Me: Do we need to take you to the hospital and have them amputate it?

She never missed a beat!

Frances: YES!!!

Me: You want them to cut it off?

Frances: YES!!!

lol Gotta love 2 year olds.

It's Been a While!

2008-08-22T19:46:00.008-05:00

I haven't updated in a while, but only because everytime I would go to start writing (or even start composing what I wanted to write in my head) something disasterous seemed to happen. But so much has happened with the little ones lately, I just can't resist updating - I mean, a 2 year old birthday, two 1 year old birthdays, etc...... I need to do this more anyway! lol

Frank and Marguerite had their 1 year check-ups last week.

Marshie got a clean bill of health right up front. She's walking, trying hard to talk, eating really well, and is generally in a very good mood much of the time. Soooooo different from when she was born. She was the sickly twin - not eating well, crying all the time, not able to stomach much of anything (breastmilk or any formulas). We put her on Soy milk and she blossomed.

Her stats:
Weight: 23 lbs 2.3 ozs (95th percentile)
Height: 34 1/4 inches (95th percentile)
Head: 19 1/4 inches (95th percentile)
Current favorite food: Cherry flavored Gerber Stars
Current favorite toy: Daddy's bass amp (yes, she can turn it on and has figured out how to touch the end of the cord to make it "hum" lol)

Yes, she really DOES have a big head. She always gets it measured three times too. The nurse measures her, measures Frank's, then has to measure her again. Doc (or the nurse prac.) comes in and says that just CAN'T be right and measures it AGAIN. rotfl The child just has a really BIG head like her Daddy!! You'd think that they'd "get" that by now.

Frank we had a little more in depth chat about. He refuses to stand/walk. I know that's not a big deal at 12 months, but he favors his left leg -- not wanting to put pressure on it. He acts like it hurts, but I have noticed that as long as he's on something soft (ie: the bed or couch) he will jump up and down and try to stand. Anyways, they decided to x-ray his hips just to be certain there was nothing wrong there. And we got the results back today. Nothing to worry about! Yay!!! He also has allergies/asthma, so they put him on Singulair. Of course, he refuses to eat ANYthing that he can't pick up and put into his mouth himself, so I'm not so certain it's helping much. I've been forcing it into him with one spoonful of food, but he spits so much back at me. *sigh* Stubborn child!!!

His stats:
Weight: 20 lbs 9.6 ozs (25th percentile)
Height: 33 1/4 inches (75th percentile)
Head: 18 3/4 inches (75th percentile)
Current favorite food: Cheerios - dry
Current favorite toy: Daddy's practice juggling ball

Frankie has always been smaller than Marshie, but his weight seems to keep sliding. I don't exactly know why, but the Doc doesn't seem bothered by it at the moment. Desse was like that (couldn't gain weight the first year), but they figured out he had asthma and started treating it and BOOM - that child blossomed! He was downright chunky until about the time he started Kindergarten.

Here's a little video of Mr. Frank from yesterday. He was playing with his Daddy's practice juggling ball. The child is such a nut! (Yes it's very short.)

I also have one other video to share. Frankie and Frances from last week. He's been trying to imitate her when she's making noises. This one is a little longer. lol

Both of the twins adore Frances. Marshie follows her around, but Frankie has started saying "Au-Dee" - His version of Audrey, which is what Frances calls herself most of the time. It's really cute! She really hates it when they start crawling all over her though. That just ticks her off.

She's a really good big sister. She loves fetching things for the twins, like bottles and diapers, and lately she's started telling me when one of them needs a "Diapoo" (diaper) change -- whether they really do or not! lol Frances also tried to have little kittens when the nice nurse was giving HER babies their shots at their check-up. She kept telling Holly to "stop!" Then she tried to rub Marshie's back to soothe her. It was just so sweet.

And just so she's not left out, here's her little picture. lol

Tower Builder

2008-06-07T20:12:00.004-05:00

Frances got a set of Mega blocks for her birthday last year. For the last month or so, she's really started stacking the blocks, but not much more. Yesterday, Desse and I sat down with her to show her how to build structures.

She of course, added her own "stacked" features.

The pics are not the greatest quality, being taken from Desse's cellphone, but she's still cute!

A Little Poop-Head

2008-06-07T19:59:00.005-05:00

So on Thursday morning, last day of school for the teenagers, I got Frankie and Marshie up and changed their diapers, pulled off their pj's (which were damp from wet dipes) and left them on the familyroom floor while I went to the bathroom myself. When I came back out, about 2 minutes later, Alex (Desse's girlfriend) was holding Frankie out in front of her and "ewwwwing" at me.

Then she told me her story....

She came into the house, and while Desse put her bag for the pool party that was to happen after school back in his room, she went to the familyroom to see the babies. The first thing she noticed was that Frankie was naked and she wondered why he was naked but Marguerite had a diaper on. As she got closer to him, she could see his diaper sitting next to him (which was both clean and dry by the way). Also next to him was part of a big turd. The rest of said turd was being smeared into our hardwood floor!

Frankie was giggling his head off! So was Marshie! I don't know what the two of them found so funny about the situation, but I suppose that's what twins are for -- entertainment.

Needless to say, I ended up giving the poophead a bath while the teenagers went to school. Rob did come rescue Marguerite so she didn't get into the poop before I could get the room cleaned up, for which I was very thankful.

*skip forward a couple of days*

Today, I put the babies down for a nap, and what did Mr. Poophead do? He again pulled off his diaper!! This time he only wet his bed, but....ewwwww! Let me tell you, that child will have something covering his diaper from now on! Even if a pair of shorts is the only other thing he's wearing - rain or shine, sleet or snow. lol

Graduation Day!

2008-06-01T22:27:00.006-05:00

I'm so proud of my step-daughter, Gwen. Yesterday she graduated from the Hockaday School. The young ladies were SO gorgeous in their white dresses and hats. I had not realized that, at 122 students, they were the largest graduating class from Hockaday.

It was an outdoor ceremony, and quite warm at that. The terrace was beautiful though, and we were under shade trees - so the breeze was wonderful as the sun went down.

I'm not going to post all the pictures, as we were sort of far away and Gwen ended up being tiny, but here's the one that counts. Yes, it's a little fuzzy, but she got her diploma!!!!

YAY GWEN!!! CONGRATS!!!!

(And just as one of those little side-notes, I admit it... I cried tears of joy when she received that little piece of paper. If/when she gets married, I think the flood control guys might have to be called! lol Guess that's what she gets for having an emotional step-mommy.)

-----------

Of course, when you take a "thundering hoard" (Rob's name for us when we have ALL the kids with us), other cute stories are likely to arise. Frankie and Marguerite were big hits with everyone around us -- and invariably three people asked, "Are they twins?" I've learned to close my eyes, grin and bear it, but dang I hate that question! But all in all, those two were precious angels. They were hot outside, but they really didn't do a lot of crying.

Frances (pushy little thing that she is) realized I had a bandaid on my finger. (I broke my fingernail far enough down that it was bleeding profusely when I tried to put Frank's shoes on and he kicked just the tip of the nail. OWWW!) Of course, comical conversation with my not-quite-two-year-old ensues in the midst of graduation:

Frances asked me, "Sticker?"

"No, it's a band-aid." (I was still looking for Gwen to make her way through the procession.)

"Take it off." Yes, she did demand this with one hand on her hip (the other held the sippy cup), stomping that little left foot of hers.

I was a little startled at first, but said, "No, it's a bandaid for my hurt. I'm not taking it off." (I gave her the logical explanation, silly me, and looked back towards the chairs where the girls were making their way onto the terrace.)

"Mommy! Take it OFF! I want wear it!!" She yelled this definantly. There were quite a few snickers from the row behind us.

"No."

"Mommy, NOW!" More snickers, and a few people in the couple of rows around us turned to look at her commotion.... so what do I do?

I took her picture! And then, "Go bother Bubba Desse," I told her, and she quickly went over to see if HE had any "stickers" she could take off of him.

Hey, the distraction worked (sorta) though you can see in the picture that she's holding her hand out towards the camera (aka the finger with the band-aid). lol

First words and more twin comedy

2008-05-18T20:30:00.004-05:00

Today Frankie said his first word, "DaDa." Both he and Marguerite have been experimenting with sounds (LOUDLY) for the last several weeks, but he was the first to use DaDa deliberately.

Rob was sitting on the couch reading and Frankie wanted his attention. He shouted, "DaDaDaDa" and got the attention he wanted. Still, he mostly clicks his tongue and tries out new sounds (aaaaahhhhh and eeeeeee are two of his favorites), but I did hear him say, "DaDaDaDa" again while watching his Daddy outside working. : ) I'm a proud Mama today.

Frankie found his older sister's LeapFrog laptop this week --- and fell in love!!

The little squirt really loves these wooden bead toys.

The kids were at the office with me this week, and on Friday I captured a few shots of them. They really played together nicely most of the day, and everything was fine until.....

....Frankie crawled under Marshie's feet!!

I also walked in on a fight one morning this week that was hysterical. I heard them clanking their bottles on the bedrails (sort of like the old westerns where the prisoners clank their tin cups on the cell bars), and I went to investigate. What I found was Frankie and Marguerite holding their bottles upside down and using them to "sword" fight. rotfl The clanking I heard was when they'd miss hitting the other bottle and clank into their crib railings. I couldn't help standing their laughing at them, even when they dropped their bottles and cried to be held.

DaDa's Motorcycle

2008-05-14T19:52:00.003-05:00

Just for the record, Frances can say "daddy", but she prefers to call hers "DaDa". And Rob likes it better too!

So Monday we were waiting outside for Rob to arrive and his motorcycle was (and still is) parked on the front step. Crackers (one of our cats) was pawing around and sniffing around the cycle. Frances started yelling, "Cackers! Get Down!" and "Cackers! NO!!" Both of these comments were followed by her telling the cat, "DaDa's Motorcycle!" I kept snickering because the cat, being a cat, would just turn his head towards her and blink... very slowly. lol

Then later when Rob was leaving again, Frances told me, "DaDa Motorcycle." I told her, "No, DaDa's taking the truck, not the motorcycle." She promptly put her hands on her hips, stomped her little foot and told me, "DaDa taking motorcycle." Stupid me, I told her again, "No, DaDa's taking the truck." She stood there defiantly telling me, "DaDa taking motorcycle." Of course, being the adult in this situation, I strolled (heavily - ie almost stomping) over to the door and opened it. I pointed at the motorcycle and triumphantly said, "See, DaDa took the truck!"

Yes, I really am 37 years old, but there are days that I wonder about my sanity. I can't believe I was having this fight with my almost 2 year old. Rob, of course, finds this story of our very stubborn daughter totally hysterical!

Here are a couple of pictures of the little demon...er...angel and her DaDa on his motorcycle:

There is one thing I need to say though, she is very terrified of the motorcycle when it's running. She doesn't like loud noises, and of course it is loud (as a good motorcycle should be, right?) I have no fear of her running up to him while he's riding. She tends to run for the front door and try to get inside. : )

Mother's Day Outing

2008-05-11T20:11:00.004-05:00

Today I asked to be taken to the zoo for Mother's Day. I know it sounds a little weird, but I love watching little eyes light up when they see animals, and Frances obliged. Of course, she didn't want to walk OR ride in the stroller, so Desse ended up carrying her all over the zoo. Whew! Poor kiddo. Thanks Desse!!!

Mostly this will be a "pictures" blog.

Mr Creepy Gorilla - the first animal we saw today

Frances riding on Desse's shoulders looking at Mr. Creepy Gorilla

Desse showing Frances some birds

Frances was not certain about riding on the chimps shoulders

Chimp!

Frankie and Marguerite outside the chimp cage - he just would NOT leave the hat on his head

duck! (No, I didn't see the sign that said what kind)

I love flamingoes (real ones anyway lol) and I couldn't resist this "train" of them

Frances and Desse riding a turtle (tortoise?)

The giraffe sees his shadow!

After the zoo, we went to eat lunch at the Flying Saucer. There the kiddos gave me three little carved stone frogs (one lapis, one brown & tan stone, one green soapstone). Frances handed me the lapis one, Desse gave me the little brown one and Rob gave Marguerite the green one -- which she promptly tried to eat! lol

Afterwards, I came home and took a much needed nap. I know, I'm getting old! That's what happens to pregnant women with three little ones under two.

On another note, I talked to Steven last night and told him I was pregnant. It's hard to get in touch with him when he lives in Houston. He was quite shocked, but in good spirits. Nothing like finding out your Mom is pregnant again I guess. lol He was the last of the kids that I needed to tell.

Twin Comedies

2008-05-10T20:40:00.000-05:00

Today, like so many days, Frank and Marguerite kept me in stitches.

First they started fighting over a strand of brightly colored pony beads. It's a pretty secure strand, so I don't worry about it breaking. Marshie picked up the beads and started sucking on them. Frankie caught sight of them and very, very quickly crawled over to her. He reached out, grabbed the other end of the strand, and stuck it in his mouth. Marshie jerked it back, loudly squawking. He jerked it back, loudly protesting. It went back and forth for several moments until Frankie (with his end still in his mouth) grabbed Marshie's end and jerked it out of her hands. The hysterical part was the startled look on her face! You could almost see the words, "HOW DARE YOU!" written on her face. He gave her this look though, and she just looked up and me then crawled away.....

Later in the day ---

Frankie, still not feeling well, did not nap today, but Marguerite did. He was in his exersaucer playing (and watching Elmo's world with Frances) when Marshie awoke. Desse brought her out to her exersaucer next to Frank's. He gave her his, "What were you doing sleeping?" look, picked his half full bottle of his exersaucer, and chunked it at her head. Marshie, the future baseball catcher that she is, managed to smoothly catch the bottle and automatically put it in her mouth. Frankie's mouth fell open in this sort of "awe" while she sat in the saucer drinking his bottle.

This is of course in addition to their usual morning bout. Marshie wakes up first, and not wanting to be alone, stands in her bed and chunks her bottle at Frankie's head hoping to wake him up. And yes, it usually does. When he wakes, he tosses the bottle back into her bed, and adds his -- usually chunking it at her head in revenge! This morning, thankfully, they were happy with their fighting and many giggles came from the bedroom.

It's so cute the way the two of them go after each other now that they are in separate beds pushed up against one another. And it's adorable to watch their relationship as twins blossom these days. I wouldn't have it any other way.

A few pics of Frank and Marguerite ---

At the new office:

Another at the new office:

Frankie trying to climb into the rocking chair with his sister:

Frankie trying to get in, Marshie trying to get out, and GodMama Boo trying to help:

A Day at the Doc's (aka Baby Updates)

2008-05-09T22:04:00.000-05:00

We went to the doc this morning for check-ups: 9 months for the twins, 2 year for Frances. We arrived at 8:15 for weigh in and measurements - which took almost 40 minutes... whew! Ms. Carol (she's the PA and we adore her!) came in around 9 to see us and we were out of there around 10:45. Yep, it takes a while with three of them, but she's always very thorough and takes her time since Frances is so scared of the doc's anyway.

The particulars:

- Frank weighed in at 18 pounds 5.4 ounces, 28 inches long and his head circumference was 18 3/4 inches. Yes, both twins have big heads! lol

- Marguerite weighed in at 19 pounds 8.2 ounces. Like Frankie, she's 28 inches long with a head circumference of 18 3/4 inches.

- Frances weighed in at 28 pounds 1 ounce and is 33 1/2 inches tall. Just 2 1/2 more inches and she'll be 3 feet! She's growing so fast.

There was nothing particularly wrong with the girls. Both are way above average for their ages. They would like to see Frances do a little more dressing/undressing of herself, and want her to have less milk in a day. Also they said she should have a multivitamin since she goes through stages of not eating much. Frankie's been a little sick the last couple of days with diarrhea, which is why he's lost weight in the last 2 weeks. (He weighed 19 pounds 3 ounces when he saw the doctor for his cough (a virus) a week and a half ago.) Ms. Carol put him on a banana and applesauce diet for the next couple of days and wants him to have at least two bottles of pedialite along with his formula bottles. She suggested that we give him Soy formula for a couple of days, but that constipates him and would make him miserable. I think we'll try this diet first.

Marshie is trying desperately to walk. She can almost stand on her own -- pulling herself up and letting go -- but she won't take the steps yet. She isn't talking yet, but apparently that's normal for twins. She eats well, sleeps well and loves to play games like peek-a-boo and patty cake.

Frankie is a little behind his sister. He's my laid back child. lol It took him longer to learn to crawl, he's just started sitting up well, and he's just beginning to pull himself up. He loves to be cuddled and talked/sung to. He will smile at just about every word spoken to him. He's also SERIOUSLY ticklish!

Frances can now name all of her colors (though she still mixes white and yellow sometimes... which I think is simply because some yellows are so light), she can speak in complete sentences with more than five words (when she WANTS to lol) and she has read her first word without any sort of prompting. Last Wednesday, 4/30, at the bookstore she started telling Desse, "oink!" Finally she showed him the book she was looking at. The title is, "The Cow that Said OINK". There were pictures of cows on the front with one saying "oink". We know she didn't confuse the cows for pigs, because when you ask her what they are she says, "cow" and when you ask her what cows says, she answers with, "moo" -- yet she can read the word oink on the cover of the book. lol Needless to say, she got the book!! Frances also loves to play outside, particularly with one of the balls we bought her or with the little dolly stroller so she can push Suzie around.

Not much else I can think of to say. Ms. Carol was very impressed with the progress of all three of them. I hope everyone is having a wonderful day!